Rajasthan Royals 199 for 3 (Samson 71*, Jurel 52*) beat Lucknow Super Giants 196 for 5 (Rahul 76, Hooda 50, Sandeep 2-31) by seven wickets

But even so, RR were in a tricky situation at 78 for 3 after 8.4 overs, after ending the powerplay 60 for 1. Ten overs into the chase, with RR needing 116, ESPNcricinfo's forecaster gave LSG an 87.76% chance of winning. But then Sanju Samson joined forces with an out-of-form Dhruv Jurel, both batters scoring half-centuries in a 121-run riposte to LSG's hundred partnership between KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda, and took Royals to victory with an over to spare.

The result was Royals' eighth win in nine games, taking them six points clear of Kolkata Knight Riders in second place, and has all but assured them of a place in the playoffs with five games in hand.

Samson and Jurel keep calm

Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal had added 60 off 34 balls. But with two deliveries of the powerplay remaining, Buttler was bowled by Yash Thakur - moving across his crease and missing a full toss that crashed into the base of leg stump. In the next over, Marcus Stoinis had Jaiswal caught at deep cover.

LSG had chosen a black-soil pitch for this contest and brought on 41-year-old legspinner Amit Mishra for the first time this season as the Impact Player. He accounted for RR's Impact Player - Riyan Parag - having him caught at deep cover too soon after conceding a six. RR were in trouble then but Samson and Jurel led them out of it.

While Samson began his innings with form on his side - he was among the top-scorers of the season - Jurel had managed only ten runs in his previous three innings across six matches. They took their time, scoring only three runs off the first eight balls of their partnership, before ransacking the next two overs for 29 runs. Jurel launched Mishra for a six and chipped Thakur for four, while Samson also got three boundaries.

The 14th over, from left-arm quick Mohsin Khan, proved to be the turning point of the game. Jurel was dropped twice in that over by Thakur and hit three fours and a six, eventually finishing unbeaten on 52 off 34 balls. Samson's innings was less fraught with risk and he ended the match with a six over fine leg to remain not out on 71 off only 33 deliveries.

Not quite a spinners' pitch

There were a few cracks on the pitch in Lucknow, with the ball expected to turn off them. The soil was black too, which has historically been more spin-friendly. When LSG batted, RR's spinners R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal combined for figures of 8-0-80-1. The solitary wicket was Ashwin's - Deepak Hooda caught at wide long-on - and it was only his second wicket in eight games this season.

LSG's spinners didn't have much success during the chase either, even though there wasn't much dew, with Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi and Mishra bowing a total of seven overs for figures of 1 for 60. While Krunal bowled quicker and flatter to concede only 24 from his four overs, Mishra and Bishnoi proved expensive.

RR restrict LSG at start and finish

Trent Boult did what he almost always does - strike in the first over. Quinton de Kock had begun the match with boundaries off the first two balls, but had his stumps shattered by the third. And in the second over Sandeep Sharma swerved the ball through the gap between Stoinis' bat and pad as he attempted to drive and bowled him.

LSG were 11 for 2 when Hooda joined his captain Rahul, and they went about the recovery at brisk pace, counterattacking by smashing four boundaries in the last two overs of the powerplay. Rahul then took Avesh for 21 in the eighth over, whipping and swinging for six over midwicket and fine leg, and pulling a free-hit for four more. LSG were 94 for 2 at the halfway stage, with Rahul reaching 50 off 31 balls. He and Hooda continued the offensive, picking up 32 off the next two overs. Hooda got to his half-century from 30 deliveries before holing out to a carrom-ball from Ashwin to end his partnership with Rahul on 115 off 62 balls.

With eight overs to go and plenty of wickets in hand, LSG were primed for a strong finish, but it did not happen for them. Even though they lost only two more wickets, they were those of Nicholas Pooran and Rahul - for 76 off 48 balls - and LSG were able to score only 25 runs in the last three overs of their innings.